April 8
1513 - Explorer Juan Ponce de Leon claimed Florida for Spain.
1864 - The U.S. Senate passed, 38-6, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolishing slavery. (The House of Representatives passed it in January 1865; the amendment was ratified and adopted in December 1865.)
1911 - An explosion at the Banner Coal Mine in Littleton, Alabama, claimed the lives of 128 men, most of them convicts loaned out from prisons.
1913 - The 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, requiring direct election of U.S. senators by popular vote rather than by state legislators.
1913 - President Woodrow Wilson became the first chief executive since John Adams to address Congress in person as he asked lawmakers to enact tariff reform.
1935 - The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was approved by Congress to help alleviate joblessness during the Great Depression.
1943 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered a freeze on wages and prices to combat inflation.
1946 - The League of Nations assembled for the final time.
1952 - President Harry S. Truman seized the steel industry to avert a nationwide strike. (The Supreme Court later ruled that Truman had overstepped his authority, opening the way for a seven-week strike by steelworkers.)
1970 - The U.S. Senate rejected President Richard Nixon's nomination of G. Harrold Carswell to the Supreme Court.
1973 - Artist Pablo Picasso died in France at age 91.
1986 - Actor Clint Eastwood was elected mayor of Carmel, California.
1990 - Ryan White, an AIDS patient whose battle for acceptance gained national attention, died in Indianapolis at age 18.
1993 - Singer Marian Anderson died in Portland, Oregon at age 96.
1994 - Western nations prepare evacuation efforts as Hutu extremists in Rwanda conduct a genocidal massacre that killed hundreds of thousands of ethnic Tutsis.
1994 - Rock singer-musician Kurt Cobain of Nirvana was found dead in Seattle at age 27 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
2005 - World leaders joined pilgrims and prelates in St. Peter's Square for the funeral of Pope John Paul II.
2009 - Somali pirates hijacked the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama. (The crew retook the cargo ship, and Navy sharpshooters killed two pirates holding the ship's American captain.)
2010 - President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed the New START treaty in Prague.
2011 - Congressional and White House negotiators struck a last-minute budget deal ahead of a midnight deadline, averting a federal shutdown and cutting billions in spending.
2020 - A 76-day lockdown was lifted in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the global pandemic began; resident would have to use a smartphone app showing that they had not been in recent contact with anyone confirmed to have the virus.
2020 - Sen. Bernie Sanders ended his presidential bid, making Joe Biden the presumptive Democratic nominee to challenge President Donald Trump.
Birthdays
25 - Sadie Calvano (actress)
30 - Shelby Young (actress)
38 - Kirsten Storms (actress)
41 - Taylor Kitsch (actor)
42 - Katee Sackhoff (actress)
49 - Emma Caulfield (actress)
52 - Craig Honeycutt (singer)
52 - JR Bourne (actor)
54 - Patricia Arquette (actress)
56 - Robin Wright (actress)
59 - Donita Sparks (singer)
59 - Dean Norris (actor)
59 - Julian Lennon (singer)
62 - John Schneider (actor)
75 - Steve Howe (musician)
76 - Stuart Pankin (actor)
81 - Peggy Lennon (singer)
96 - Shecky Greene (comedian)
==========================================
Today in Sports History - April 8
1943 - The Detroit Red Wings sweep the Boston Bruins to win the Stanley Cup.
1966 - 36-year-old Al Davis is named commissioner of the AFL. (The appointment lasts only three months after which the AFL merges with the NFL.)
1969 - The Montreal Expos debut as the first Canadian team in Major League Baseball, beating the New York Mets 11-10; the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres and Seattle Pilots also make their MLB debuts (all three won their debuts).
1974 - Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hit his 715th career home run in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, breaking Babe Ruth's major league record.
1975 - Frank Robinson of the Cleveland Indians became first black manager of a major league baseball team.
1987 - Los Angeles Dodgers executive Al Campanis resigned over remarks he had made. While on ABC's "Nightline" Campanis said that blacks "may not have some of the necessities" to hold managerial jobs in major-league baseball.
1990 - Nick Faldo wins the Masters.
1992 - Tennis star Arthur Ashe announced he had AIDS. (Ashe died the following February of AIDS-related pneumonia at age 49.)
1993 - Carlos Baerga of the Cleveland Indians becomes the first player in MLB history to hit home runs from opposite sides of the plate in the same inning.
2001 - Tiger Woods wins his second Masters.
2003 - Connecticut defeats Tennessee 73-68 to win the NCAA Women's Tournament.
2007 - Zach Johnson wins the Masters.
2008 - Tennessee defeats Stanford 64-48 to win the NCAA Women's Tournament for the eighth time.
2012 - Bubba Watson defeated Louis Oosthuizen in a playoff to win the Masters.
2013 - Louisville defeats Michigan 82-76 to win the NCAA Tournament.
2014 - Connecticut defeats Notre Dame 79-58 to win the NCAA Women's Tournament.
2018 - Patrick Reed wins the Masters.
2019 - Virginia defeats Texas Tech 85-77 in overtime to win the NCAA Tournament.
1513 - Explorer Juan Ponce de Leon claimed Florida for Spain.
1864 - The U.S. Senate passed, 38-6, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolishing slavery. (The House of Representatives passed it in January 1865; the amendment was ratified and adopted in December 1865.)
1911 - An explosion at the Banner Coal Mine in Littleton, Alabama, claimed the lives of 128 men, most of them convicts loaned out from prisons.
1913 - The 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, requiring direct election of U.S. senators by popular vote rather than by state legislators.
1913 - President Woodrow Wilson became the first chief executive since John Adams to address Congress in person as he asked lawmakers to enact tariff reform.
1935 - The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was approved by Congress to help alleviate joblessness during the Great Depression.
1943 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered a freeze on wages and prices to combat inflation.
1946 - The League of Nations assembled for the final time.
1952 - President Harry S. Truman seized the steel industry to avert a nationwide strike. (The Supreme Court later ruled that Truman had overstepped his authority, opening the way for a seven-week strike by steelworkers.)
1970 - The U.S. Senate rejected President Richard Nixon's nomination of G. Harrold Carswell to the Supreme Court.
1973 - Artist Pablo Picasso died in France at age 91.
1986 - Actor Clint Eastwood was elected mayor of Carmel, California.
1990 - Ryan White, an AIDS patient whose battle for acceptance gained national attention, died in Indianapolis at age 18.
1993 - Singer Marian Anderson died in Portland, Oregon at age 96.
1994 - Western nations prepare evacuation efforts as Hutu extremists in Rwanda conduct a genocidal massacre that killed hundreds of thousands of ethnic Tutsis.
1994 - Rock singer-musician Kurt Cobain of Nirvana was found dead in Seattle at age 27 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
2005 - World leaders joined pilgrims and prelates in St. Peter's Square for the funeral of Pope John Paul II.
2009 - Somali pirates hijacked the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama. (The crew retook the cargo ship, and Navy sharpshooters killed two pirates holding the ship's American captain.)
2010 - President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed the New START treaty in Prague.
2011 - Congressional and White House negotiators struck a last-minute budget deal ahead of a midnight deadline, averting a federal shutdown and cutting billions in spending.
2020 - A 76-day lockdown was lifted in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the global pandemic began; resident would have to use a smartphone app showing that they had not been in recent contact with anyone confirmed to have the virus.
2020 - Sen. Bernie Sanders ended his presidential bid, making Joe Biden the presumptive Democratic nominee to challenge President Donald Trump.
Birthdays
25 - Sadie Calvano (actress)
30 - Shelby Young (actress)
38 - Kirsten Storms (actress)
41 - Taylor Kitsch (actor)
42 - Katee Sackhoff (actress)
49 - Emma Caulfield (actress)
52 - Craig Honeycutt (singer)
52 - JR Bourne (actor)
54 - Patricia Arquette (actress)
56 - Robin Wright (actress)
59 - Donita Sparks (singer)
59 - Dean Norris (actor)
59 - Julian Lennon (singer)
62 - John Schneider (actor)
75 - Steve Howe (musician)
76 - Stuart Pankin (actor)
81 - Peggy Lennon (singer)
96 - Shecky Greene (comedian)
==========================================
Today in Sports History - April 8
1943 - The Detroit Red Wings sweep the Boston Bruins to win the Stanley Cup.
1966 - 36-year-old Al Davis is named commissioner of the AFL. (The appointment lasts only three months after which the AFL merges with the NFL.)
1969 - The Montreal Expos debut as the first Canadian team in Major League Baseball, beating the New York Mets 11-10; the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres and Seattle Pilots also make their MLB debuts (all three won their debuts).
1974 - Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hit his 715th career home run in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, breaking Babe Ruth's major league record.
1975 - Frank Robinson of the Cleveland Indians became first black manager of a major league baseball team.
1987 - Los Angeles Dodgers executive Al Campanis resigned over remarks he had made. While on ABC's "Nightline" Campanis said that blacks "may not have some of the necessities" to hold managerial jobs in major-league baseball.
1990 - Nick Faldo wins the Masters.
1992 - Tennis star Arthur Ashe announced he had AIDS. (Ashe died the following February of AIDS-related pneumonia at age 49.)
1993 - Carlos Baerga of the Cleveland Indians becomes the first player in MLB history to hit home runs from opposite sides of the plate in the same inning.
2001 - Tiger Woods wins his second Masters.
2003 - Connecticut defeats Tennessee 73-68 to win the NCAA Women's Tournament.
2007 - Zach Johnson wins the Masters.
2008 - Tennessee defeats Stanford 64-48 to win the NCAA Women's Tournament for the eighth time.
2012 - Bubba Watson defeated Louis Oosthuizen in a playoff to win the Masters.
2013 - Louisville defeats Michigan 82-76 to win the NCAA Tournament.
2014 - Connecticut defeats Notre Dame 79-58 to win the NCAA Women's Tournament.
2018 - Patrick Reed wins the Masters.
2019 - Virginia defeats Texas Tech 85-77 in overtime to win the NCAA Tournament.
